Autumn and Beyond
by Another one of those please
Summary: Love is whatever you can still betray. Betrayal can only happen if you love. Yet Betrayal is only second to Regret, as Betrayal something one has no control over and Regret was what they had control over. Warning: Jaune X Pyrrha Tragic AU. Update: I have decided to stop writing RWBY fanfic and port my stories to FictionPress with alterations under the same username.
1. Prologue I

**AN: Warning! If you are an Arkos fan, continue at your own discretion. The ship is about to be scuttled and then rebuilt (maybe, undecided yet). I am also a big Arkos fan but I thought this story would bolster this ship. If you disagree with my methods, pls do not flame.**

 **The main reason why I am writing this story is because my psychiatrist suggested me to find a way to relieve stress. Within the last 17 months I have fainted three times and possibly had seizures each time. My doctor suggested me to see a psychiatrist to see if that can help me.**

 **I am 18 right now and applying for college. It is almost overwhelming for me and I tend to fear the things I can't control. Currently I am trying to decide which college to go to. My choices right now are UMD Honors, William and Mary Monroe Program, and Rice University. I don't know which one to go to and I am having a mental breakdown every time I think about it. I am fearful of what will happen in the next 6 months and uncertain about what I really want to do for the rest of my life. I mean I want to try to go to med school and continue to work in the private sector but there is also a part of me that wants to go into engineering.**

 **I don't know what to do with my life right now and I am essentially spending my time playing League of Legends to avoid the subject, but that has only been an avoidance habit and the community there definitely does not help me relieve stress. (As a Jungler I am having aneurisms every game at everyone pinging me to gank them). Sorry for this lengthy rant, but I needed to get this off my chest before I start going back to real life. Thank you everyone for your support. You can comment and voice your opinions, but pls keep the anger to a minimum. Otherwise, enjoy. And don't forget to review, any suggestion is welcomed.**

* * *

Autumn is upon us. Here, it always has. For Forever Fall has been cursed, some would say, to stay forever a crimson red. Little do they know of the summer that was and the winter that will. Yet the passionate heat of July will inevitably cool into the scathing cold of January. And in that metamorphosis is a story to tell.

Jaune had to escape. He had to run away.

He was a wanted man, and for a reason he did not know. All throughout Vale, wanted notices have been posted with his face on it. In shock, he called his friends in beacon but only Pyrrha picked up.

"Pyrrha! What is going on?" Jaune had to hide inside an alleyway, away from all the prying eyes.

"…" No response.

"Pyrrha?"

"You bastard!"

"Pyrrha, what is wrong?" Jaune was genuinely confused. He had gone into town for the afternoon to for something he had been waiting for three months. Their parents had arrived earlier in the day for parents visit day and Jaune thought it would be a good chance to do something long overdue. But as he walked out of the silversmith's store, he found himself staring at a giant wanted notice with his own face on it.

"What do you think?" Her voice was full of venom, something Jaune had never experienced before, "You hurt my parents!"

"What do you mean?" Distress filled Jaune's mind. He didn't know what was going on. He had left Beacon before the parents arrived in the hopes that he would go back just as they land. But the silversmith did not finish what he wanted and Jaune had to wait. By the time the boy had gotten what he wanted, it was already the afternoon.

"Stop lying Jaune. We have you on video. You attacked them in the auditorium!" Pyrrha made a sound akin to a sarcastic chuckle, "And now we know where you are."

"Wait, Pyrrha!"

 _Beep, Beep, Beep._

She had hung up.

 _We know where you are_. _What did she mean?_ A realization popped into Jaune's mind, _the call! They located me using my scroll. What should I do?_

Jaune debated what he should do now. Should he turn himself in? He knew he was innocent, and if the silversmith was willing to help, he could prove his case. Ok, he is going to go out and face his partner or whoever comes to collect him.

He stayed holed up in the alley until he heard a bullhead rush overhead. This is it. Time to find out what the hell is going on. The airship descended as he walked out. The exhaust from the bullhead blew a gust across the plaza outside the alleyway. But it didn't land. The doors slowly opened and Pyrrha appeared from inside the hull. She made some sort of gesture to the pilot inside before raising Milo, and in an instance, transform it into its carbine form.

Bang!

The bullet had only grazed Jaune's left shoulder as he had dashed towards cover as soon as he saw the gun. But the shock factor was there. He tried calmed himself down behind the fountain in the middle of the plaza while his aura healed his wounds. Adrenaline shot through his blood stream as he realized what had just happened.

Pyrrha had tried to kill him, and for a moment Jaune did not know whether to cry or run. But that moment lasted less than a second. He dashed towards one of the streets that funneled into the plaza, instinctually ducking as soon as he got out of cover.

Bang!

Another shot was fired, but it had missed again. Jaune quickly looked back across his shoulder and saw that the bullhead was descending to land. It will be a ground game from now on.

* * *

Jaune had ran for over an hour now. He had run north, towards the Forever Fall forest. As he reached the city gates, he planned to hide in a cart that was a part of an outgoing caravan back to his home of Arcadia, but the guards at the gate searched the cart and he was force to make a run for it out of the city.

Jaune decided not to stick near the road due to fear of being found. After all, if even Pyrrha would kill him, who could he trust? He stopped in a clearing and took stock of what he had with him. Before he could however, he heard footsteps behind him.

"End of the line, Jaune. Stop right here and face me." Jaune sighed as he raised his hands and turned around to face his partner.

"Pyrrha, why are you doing this?"

"Stop acting dumb, Jaune." The Spartan's face did not show any other emotion besides pure hatred. She readied Miló and Akoúo̱. "You will pay for what you have done."

"Don't do this Pyrrha!" Jaune held both of his hands up. He did not have his weapons nor his armor with him. Any blow from the redhead could prove fatal if his aura is drained. His plead, however, fell on deft ears as Pyrrha rushed her team leader. With Xiphos in hand, she slashed downwards onto Jaune. The blonde took a step back and dodged the first strike, but the Spartan quickly followed with a second attack. Jaune was caught on the back hand and the blade cut across his chest. His hoodie and shirt was ripped through but thanks to his aura, no serious damage was done.

Taking advantage of the follow through on Pyrrha's swing, Jaune kicked her in the chest and pushed them away from each other. Seeing no point in his outerwear anymore, Jaune tore his beloved hoodie off, revealing a white t-shirt with blood stains from where the blade had lacerated his flesh and the bullet had grazed his shoulder.

Jaune was stuck at an impasse, he could not harm Pyrrha, both because of will and of ability, yet he could not die yet, he had to prove his innocence. It pained him to see Pyrrha in this state and he could not bring himself to strike back at her. All he could do is try to avoid hits and hope for the best. "Pyrrha! I didn't do it! You have to believe me!" Pyrrha made a low chuckle as she went back into her fighting stance, "That is what they all say."

Pyrrha did not give Jaune any moment to explain himself as she charged again. Slash after slash, the Spartan made her mark on the blonde. Jaune tried his best to disarm Pyrrha but that is much easier said than done. Multiply strikes landed all over Jaune's body as he tried to reach for either the shield or the sword. On one swing, Jaune found a small opening and again, forced Pyrrha away from him. At this point, but parties were breathing heavily, Jaune had multiple cuts all over his torso and arms while blood had completely drenched his shirt. "Damn it Pyrrha! Stop it!"

No response. Jaune was beginning to give up hope of ever getting out of this alive. He had banked on the fact that his large aura supply will be able to protect him long enough to tire out his partner, but at this rate, he is clearly losing too much and won't be able to hold out for long. The teen prayed for a miracle. But none came.

Pyrrha attacked again with even more ferocity. She threw Miló directed at Jaune as she was charging and proceeded to bash Akoúo̱ into the boy before retrieving her Javelin. Jaune managed to avoid the Javelin from hitting his heart. It instead struck his left shoulder and pinned him to a tree behind him. From there, the blonde had no choice but to take the brunt of the shield.

"Ahh!" the pain was not as pronounced as Jaune had first thought but it ached and burned badly. He tried to remove the blade from his body but Pyrrha grabbed the end of the javelin and twisted it downwards.

"AHHH!" Jaune cried louder this time, yet he found that it took far more strength for him to scream. Breathing also became harder as tears involuntarily streamed from his eye. It wasn't just the pain. It was Pyrrha, the fact that it was Pyrrha was why he was crying. He could feel the blood filling into his lungs as Pyrrha slowing pushed the blade further down wards.

"This is for my parents!" The Spartan's face was filled with rage as she brought her weight down onto Miló and almost bisected her target. Jaune could feel that he was gradually losing control of his body, and with the last of his strength, with tears streaming down from his face, he raised his bloodied hand to touch his lover's face for what he knew to be the last time. The last thing he heard was the sound of a bullhead flying overhead, as his eyes slowly closed out. The crimson forest became deathly silent.

Pyrrha's rage slowly died out as Jaune stopped struggling. But the silence around them is interrupted as a bullhead flew overhead.

"Pyrrha!" Ruby shouted as she jumped off of the Bullhead "Thank goodness I found you. Jaune didn't..." Ruby was stopped flat in her tracks as she saw what was in front of her. Jaune was pinned to a tree by a javelin and both him and Pyrrha were covered in blood. "Oh my god." Without hesitation, Ruby turned and screamed to the pilot as she dashed towards her two friends, "Get the stretcher out, Quickly!"

Ruby pushed Pyrrha aside as she quickly inspected her best friend. Pyrrha tried to push back at the little reaper, "What are you doing, Ruby? The bastard got what he deserved!"

Ruby turned towards the Spartan on the verge of tears, and shouted: "Jaune didn't do it Pyrrha! He didn't do it!"

It was at that moment, something inside Pyrrha bit into her heart. Regret.


	2. Prologue II

A warm sensation flowed down Pyrrha's arm. A sticky, metallic odor flowed through the crimson forest as she stared into a sea of opal.

 _Drip. Drip._

Drops of water landed onto the Spartan's forearm, cleaning some of the blood off.

No, it wasn't water.

Pyrrha's eyes refocused, capturing the entire face of her target. Tears had streaked down Jaune's face, but he still managed a weak smile towards the girl he had held dearly for the past four years. For what seemed to be an eternity, they stayed there, still. Only the tears and the blood dripping on to the crimson grass flowed with time, everything else was still.

Pyrrha did not know how long they had stayed in that position when she felt a light touch onto her cheek. It was his hand, quivering and sticky.

Yet Pyrrha felt nothing but rage.

And rage burns bright.

"Jaune didn't do it Pyrrha! He didn't do it!"

But it also burns fast.

And in that instance, all of the fire inside her was extinguished. A hurricane blew through Pyrrha, blowing away all the flames and taking away all of the ashes that remained. A shiver ran down her spine and through her heart, as if she was bare naked, battered by the wind. She looked back at Jaune, trying to go back to that calm cerulean sea that were his eyes, where she always had found peace. Yet his eyes had already lost its luster, life seeping outwards.

No! **No! NO!** Pyrrha backed away from Jaune's body. In fear of the thought that shot through her. In fear of the truth. She wanted to run into the forest. Then she would wake up from this nightmare, and find her beloved leader sleeping peacefully in the bed next to her. But her feet were planted in to the ground.

The pilot of the bullhead along with the co-pilot quickly ran past her, carrying a stretcher and a small first aid kit. Ruby was already next to Jaune as they tried to remove Miló from Jaune, but they couldn't, it was too far imbedded into the tree. "Get the saw!" One of the personnel yelled at his colleague. He quickly turned to Ruby. "You, call the headmaster, we need a medivac now. He is already in shock." The pilot took one look at the Spartan and went back to trying to stop the bleeding.

Pyrrha was frozen. She desperately wanted to hide. She did not want to see the cold body of her crush, pinned against the tree. But she could not tear her eyes away from him.

 _'Take a good look at him,'_ Another side of her spat venomously, ' _this is what you have done. How did it feel to drown in rage as he drowned in his own blood? Did it feel satisfying? You know this is what you spent the past 12 years preparing for right? That time with Penny? That was practice. This, now this is graduation day.'_

'No! I am not…' Pyrrha desperately tried to argue against herself. She fell onto the ground as she pushed her face into her knees, trying to shut to world out.

The co-pilot again ran past her, this time with a small handsaw. The pilot propped Jaune upwards as he powered up the saw. Soon they started to cut through Miló.

' _What? A monster?'_ Her other side continued to sneer at her. _'Of course you are. Why else would anyone train an eight-year-old to kill? What did you think? For slumber parties?'_

As soon as they got Jaune off the tree, they moved him onto the stretcher. At this point Ruby also came back. "Ok, we are going to remove the blade from his body. But we must keep pressure on the wound. Do we have enough bandage?"

The co-pilot ran through the kit, "We should, but its barely enough." He took out a small roll of field dressing and started to unravel it.

"How long until the medivac arrive?"

"It just left the launch pad when I hung up. It should be here in a couple of minutes."

The pilot took a pocket knife out of his pocket and proceeded to cut open the boy's clothing, revealing a huge gash that ran from his shoulder through his chest. As the knife slid through the fabric, a small grey box jumped out of the right pocket in the hoodie. Ruby quickly picked it up and opened it. After discovering its contents, quickly hid it into her own pocket. Soon, a dropship with a big red cross painted on its bottom hull descended onto their position. Two paramedics rushed out with a bigger stretcher. They loaded Jaune on, and with only brief and succinct statements, slipped back into the medivac and took off, leaving the four that stayed on the ground.

The medivac was extremely cramped. Jaune laid on a makeshift operating table as the paramedics worked feverishly over him. They did everything they could to stabilize the poor boy, but the wound was too big for any sort of field dressing. The best they could do was to insert a tube to keep his lung inflated. They knew his heart was damaged and his spine was likely broken but there was little they could do. They temporarily stitched part of his shoulder together to stop the bleeding while transfusing packets of blood through a converted IV drip.

* * *

Ruby and a now incoherent Pyrrha to rode in the first bullhead because there was not enough room in the medivac. The girl did not know how to react to what she just witnessed. Four years of huntsman training prepared her to fight monsters without souls, not this. She could not face the champion who now huddled in one corner, crying her eyes out. The little reaper slowly moved closer to Pyrrha, putting her hand on the champion's shoulders. "He is going to be fine, Pyrrha. Jaune always pulls through. He always does."

Right now, even Ruby doubted her own words. The wound was terrifying. But she must stay strong. Her best friend will live through this. He has to. There are still things that she wanted to say to him. Things. A small tinge of jealousy appeared in her heart. Ruby's hands tightened around the small black box that was in her pocket. She saw what was inside. And almost hated the redhead in front of her for it.

 _She doesn't even want it! Just look at what she has done to Jaune!_ But deep inside and right in front of her, Ruby knew that was not the case.

 **AN: Another short chapter. I wanted to have an ending point for the first act before I start the next section, which will probably be longer chapters (3-6k words/chapter). This story will have similar background to Kingdom of Crescent Dawn in the sense that Jaune is a part of a 'Royal/powerful' family, although the fight for independence part will probably be excluded. Obviously, no asshole/SOB/rapey/edgy younger brother (which was on purpose btw, for all of those that read it and was disgusted by Jace. You are NOT supposed to like him). Any suggestions and ideas welcome. Starting from now, since school is over for me, I am willing to take commissions for fanfics. It doesn't have to be RWBY, but I reserve the right to accept or decline a commission.**

 **Oh, btw, I decided to go to William & Mary for those who care. I really like the atmosphere and the location. The nerdy students also help. GO TRIBE!**


	3. Act I Sec I

For Ozpin, what seemed like a great morning had turned sour within minutes. It was parents visit day, and with the diversity of the students attending his prestigious academy, he prepared himself for every possible situation, even maybe a portal splitting bandit taking a little unsanctioned escapade to see her daughter. But no preparation could of have prepared him for the events He was just receiving royal family of Arcadia when there was a commotion in the auditorium. Apparently, a hooded assailant wielding a sword and shield attacked several of the parents who were gathered in the auditorium.

The surveillance cameras showed a simple silver sword with a blue handle and a heater shield that is covered with a black. There was mass panic but several parents try to fight back. The struggle lasted only for a couple of minutes. As the adults tried to put up resistance, the assailant immediately dashed towards a window and jumped out. Guards tried to pursue but soon lost their target.

The camera footage was immediately analyzed and in a couple of the frames, blonde locks of hair could be seen from under the hoodie. The weapons seemed eerily familiar and a check on the weapons lockers showed that one belonging to a student was accessed minutes before the incident. Said student: Jaune Arc.

A manhunt for the said blonde commenced immediately. The students were immediately informed of the incident and those with parents hurt were notified and given transportation to Vale General Hospital, where the wounded were being treated.

James and Jane Arc refused to believe that their son would do such a thing and demanded that Ozpin check the last know location of their son. Sure enough, Jaune Arc had left Beacon three hours ago and has not returned yet. Another round of examination showed that there were only a handful of students that were on return flights to Beacon that morning, incidentally, none of them had blonde hair.

The search was immediately called off, but it was too late.

* * *

The white halls of the hospital were filled with people, yet the atmosphere was deathly silent. Ren and Nora sat with Mrs. Arc, comforting each other as they looked through the window into the operating room where Jaune laid, lifeless and pale. Blake and Weiss were with Pyrrha whose eyes were shot and hands trembled.

"No, James, he is in no condition to be moved. We have to treat him here at Valean General. I can personally assure you that this hospital has everything Jaune needs to make it through this."

"I don't think I can accept that, Ozpin. The agreement was that you will ensure his safety during his tenure here at Beacon. It was the only reason that Jane and I agree to what is now an obvious mistake. He should of have stayed in Arcadia. I am bringing him back with me."

"James, moving him will more than likely cause more damage to him and you know that. I understand that you are angry, but do not let that cloud your judgement. We both want what is the best for Jaune."

"Fine." James finally relented, knowing the headmaster was right. "But he is coming with us as soon as he is able to be transported. We will continue is treatment in Arcadia."

* * *

Ruby sat alone, contemplating what she had saw. The blood, the pain, the regret. This is not what she expected of being a huntsman. In her mind, she had always thought of protecting the innocent, defeating hordes of grimm. Not this...

This...threw all of her perceptions to the wind. She, too, was told to track down her friend. She, too, was told to use force if necessary, but she did not realize the consequences of those orders until she saw Jaune, pinned to the tree. She wondered if she would of have done the same thing if she was in Pyrrha's shoes, for she, too, was determined to bring her friend to justice no matter the cost. Only to have that mentality shattered by the second order and explanation. She questioned her own judgement, as she remembered her fervor and what can only be described as hatred towards Jaune at the moment of the announcement. And it pained her, for she, too, did not truly trust Jaune enough.

Her now calloused hand squeezed the small box in her pocket as she debated on what she needed to do next. A part of her told her to throw the object at the redhead in front of her as hard as possible, but she reined it in, for she would only be a hypocrite if she did that.

"Hey, Rubes, what's wrong?" Yang had turned her attention to her sister. Why did she ask that? The brawler knew exactly was wrong. Hell, anyone seeing the wound on Jaune's body would be shaken and scarred.

"Nothing Yang…Nothing…"

 **AN: A really tiny chapter. Sorry for not updating in a while. College has been really busy and league has been my main escape. I am cutting this chapter off right here for timing sake. I am hoping to release the next chapter by the end of fall break, which is the 17** **th** **for me. I want to explore the idea of redemption and fault. Who is at fault for harm? The gun or the man? Suggestions and criticism welcome.**


	4. ANNOUNCEMENT!

**_AN: This is just an announcement/PSA to Teeth's awful writing. I am planning to stop writing any RWBY fanfictions._**

 ** _Seriously, WTF, aura amplification? Dude, you had so much to work with. The teases to Jaune's semblance was so ambiguous and costly that I was actually expecting something spectacular and extremely overpowered. In Volume 1, we saw that his aura healed him faster than most others'; from that Rooster Teeth could have had his semblance make him able to create and control physical aura constructs at a molecular scale or generate extra body parts and be a literal bridging point between humans and Faunus. From all the shit Jaune went through, I was expecting an epic, cathartic montage of action as he sacrifices himself to open a path for Team RWBY and goes out in an inferno of aura that literally scars the surface of Remnant. But a support type aura? What? Is he your literal punching bag? Also I thought we were done with the whole White Knight shit. It is a bad ship and is terrible storytelling. If you want an awkward, non-communicative couple whom somehow finds love go read Pride and Prejudice or Much Ado About Nothing!_**

 ** _I know that RWBY always had shit plot and bad development, but this is a whole new level of horrible storytelling. Pyrrha needed more character development and her death was way too sudden and interrupted the effects Penny's death on the Mistrali's mentality. The Nuckelavee arc had been too focused on Ren and not enough on Nora. Jaune should be less of a wuss especially when he is your main narrative device. Literally the entire first Volume uses Jaune as the vehicle to introduce everything from Aura to Grimm to Semblance and to the academy system. To be honest, if you were going to use him as the framing device for the audience, then put him as the main character and make him more relatable. The form RoosterTeeth chose made the audience feel more like an observer/side character rather than a part of the action and seriously harmed my enjoyment of the series. I could not really connect with the story. Also, the training with Pyrrha made no sense. Rooster Teeth tried to depict that Jaune improved dramatically over the course of his tenure at Beacon yet still made him a bumbling buffoon at the Vytal Festival._**

 ** _Oh yeah, and team RWBY… Where should I start? Yes, I understand you wanted strong, independent female leads. But why is RWBY the main characters then? You are literally going all cutesy with a klutz, a tsundere, a neko and a miss fanservice. I think of all of the characters, Cinder fits the description the best: a woman focused on achieving what she wants and independent of others in the sense that she makes her decisions on what she deems best for her._**

 ** _Blake and her interactions with Sun, for one, completely overturned the whole acceptance of difference between humans and Faunus undertones in the first couple of Volumes, and second, make Blake look completely emotionally reliant on proactive Faunus males (first Adam, now Sun). And how the fuck did you go from annoying stalker whom the girl paid no attention to Mr. lady killer in one episode?_**

 ** _Then you have Yang… seriously, what do I have to say? Her background story is nice, but literally no one is focused on that when both she and her partner are wearing skimpy ass outfits. Many might not notice, but take a good look at Blake and Yang's clothes. Use Yang as less of a fanservice tool and focus more on her quest to get answers from her own mother in an attempt to explore the meaning of parenthood and familial love. And the puns, oh god, stop with the puns, the voice acting is terrible, especially with the puns._**

 ** _I actually have no problem with Weiss's storyline, except for the White Knight crap that Rooster Teeth is trying to pull again at the end of volume 5. Weiss is not who Jaune thinks she is and Jaune is not whom Weiss think he is. Stop trying to say that either will be satisfied with that relationship. Weiss is shallow, and that is fine. It is not her fault and it is not necessarily bad as she has shown great compassion towards her own companions despite still being a tsundere. A person can be fine individual despite being shallow and materialistic, stop being one-dimensional about it. Use her as an antithesis to her father. Show that a status focused individual can be compassionate and relatable._**

 ** _And then you have Ruby. Seriously, unless I am a literal eight-year-old, how am I supposed to relate to her. I understand the whole idea of growth from naivety, but her development is completely overshadowed when Weiss was the one making all of the actual concessions in their relationship. Ruby did not change in any relatable way until witnessing Pyrrha die, which was completely rushed and more likely give PTSD and shock rather than promote growth from childishness._**

 ** _The material is getting less and less bearable and my ideas are getting further and further away from canon. I might as well go onto fictionpress and write my own stories with original characters and an original universe._**

 ** _As a side note, YES HAH, I kind of guessed Ozpin's reincarnation cycle! Although now I think about it, he was cursed by the brother gods instead of requesting for it. I briefly mentioned it at the start of Kingdom of the Crescent Dawn fanfic if you guys are interested._**

 ** _I have set up a FictionPress account with the same username. I will post 'ports' of Kingdom of Crescent Dawn and Autumn and Beyond to Fiction press with major alterations to fit the worlds I had in mind. There will be character deletions and name changes along with plot changes._**


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